Week 2 Rookie Report: Bouncing Back

Last week’s rookie report was all about how disappointing week 1 was for NFL rookies.

Talk about a whole different story this week.

We saw this week why some of these players were hyped up in the preseason, and we also saw some other players emerge with legitimate roles.

Take Phillip Lindsay for example. I thought Lindsay’s week one was a fluke, but he proved it wasn’t this week. Lindsay is third in the NFL with 178 rushing yards through two weeks.

Lindsay is just one of many NFL rookies who showed great potential this weekend, so let’s look at the rest.

Week 2 Rookie Report

Quarterbacks

With how good of a week it was for all the other rookies, the quarterbacks were the lone disappointments. Josh Allen threw for 245 yards and a touchdown, but he also threw two interceptions. Sam Darnold threw for 334 yards and a touchdown while also tossing two interceptions.

Neither Darnold or Allen should be rostered, but their development should be monitored as it affects their offenses as a whole.

Running Backs

Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

Let’s start with the running back that was teased in the open, Phillip Lindsay. Lindsay rushed for 14 times for 107 yards. Lindsay almost doubled the number of carries of Royce Freeman and was more efficient averaging 7.6 yards per carry and Freeman averaging just 3.5 yards per carry.

This job appears to be Lindsay’s job to lose, even with Freeman scoring the rushing touchdown for the Broncos.

Lindsay isn’t owned in all leagues, so if you can grab him in your league be sure to do so.

Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

The rushing totals from Saquon Barkley for week 2 are underwhelming. Barkley rushed 11 times for just 28 yards. Barkley’s receiving stats are another story. Barkley caught 14 passes, yes you read that right- 14, for 80 yards.

Eli Manning was under pressure all night and his only option seemed to be dumping passes off to Barkley. If you had him in PPR you were surely smiling.

Moving forward, Barkley is still an elite option in fantasy, expectations in the running game need to be tampered a little bit, however. The Giants offensive line is downright awful, and that will limit Barkley.

Sony Michel, New England Patriots

The box score doesn’t look too great for Sony Michel, but it’s important to remember they played the best defense in the NFL in the Jaguars.

Michel received the most carries of any Patriots running back in his debut, by four carries, and had 12 more yards than Rex Burkhead.

It is not concrete that Michel will get the most amount of touches each week for the Patriots, but if this trend continues Michel will be a must own and a weekly play in a good offense.

Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ronald Jones was a healthy scratch again this week. He’s not even worth a roster spot at this point in most fantasy leagues.

Wide Receivers

Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

Calvin Ridley was held without a catch in week 1. Week 2 was a completely different story. Ridley caught four passes for 64 yards and a touchdown. That’s the same number of yards as Julio Jones had in the game.

Because Ridley doesn’t have a concrete role in the Falcons offense, expectations should be tempered for him in the coming weeks.

D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers

D.J. Moore only caught one pass in the game, but it was enough to stand out. Moore’s lone catch was a 51-yard touchdown.

Moore proved his big play ability on Sunday and moving forward the Panthers should try and work him into the offense more. Keep an eye on Moore, but he’s not a must own.

Tight End

Will Dissly, Seattle Seahawks

Will Dissly added to his strong NFL start in week 2. Dissly caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.

The Seahawks continue to lack reliable pass catchers, so Dissly can be counted on as a consistent fantasy tight end moving forward, even when Doug Baldwin returns.

Most of the players mentioned in this week’s column should not be rostered in standard fantasy leagues. If these players continue to flash their potential, they could become legit fantasy options and then they should be added, but until then keep checking out the rookie report every week.